Electrode holder



Aug. 18, 1942. J. F. M GINNIS 2,293,157-

ELECTRODE HOLDER F-iled Sept. 29, 1941 c r itomsy m Patented Aug. 18, 1942 ELECTRODE nonmin' Jesse F. McGinnis, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to M. L. B. Manufacturing Company, Hollywood, Calif., a corporation of California Application September 29, 1941, Serial No. 412,697

4 Claims.

This invention relates to handles for holding electrodes for electric welding. Such devices perform the dual purpose of mechanically supporting the electrode, and also completing electrical connection thereto.

An object of the invention is to provide a par- I ticularly convenient and safe electrode holder.

Another object is to provide an electrode holder providing positive electrical connection to the electrode.

Another object is to provide a holder that is easily, and quickly, assembled and disassembled.

Another object is to provide an electrode holder in which the current-carrying parts are thoroughly electrically insulated, and also enclosed with metal to prevent injury to the operator resulting from arcs and flashes.

Other more specific objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description to follow, with reference to the drawing, of a particular embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through an electrode holder in accordance with the invention, shown in closed, or clamping, position;

Fig. 2 is a sideelevation, with certain parts broken away and showing the'holder in open, or electrode-releasing position;

Fig. 3 is a cross section in the plane IIIIII of Fig. 1; 4

Fig. 4 is a cross section in the plane IVIV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line VV of Fig 1' Figjfi is a detail, side elevation of the electrode socket; and

Fig. '7 is a side elevation showing two moulded insulation members employed in the holder.

As shown in the drawing, the electrode holder comprises a main frame member ID formed of sheet metal, and trough shaped, as clearly indicated in Figs.' 2 and 3. The rear portion of the member 2 is enclosed by and riveted to a hollow, cylindrical fiber handle I I. Attachment is made by a single rivet I2.

The member ID projects from the forward end of the handle II, and, slightly beyond the point of projection, it is bent downward at a slight angle. The handle II may be approximately 5 or 6 inches in length, and the frame member I!) may extend forwardly and slightly downwardly from the end of the handle II for a distance of approximately 3 inches, at which point it is bent downward quite sharply, and its extreme end piece l4 through which an electrode. I5 is in-- tended to project. The nosepiece I4 is preferably made of copper, or a copper base alloy, since splatterings from the weld do not adhere to such materials as well as to many others.

Immediately back of the nose II, the body member I0 has an opening I! formed therein for the projection of a locking pin I8, to be described later.

A detachable cover'plate I9 cooperates with the exposed part of the frame member I0,'to form therewith an enclosure for a current-supply cable welded, as indicated at I3, to an annular nose- 24, and for a socket 25 that supports and supplies current to the electrode I5. The lateral edges 20 of the cover plate I9 abut against the lateral edges 2| of the frame member ID, and these edges are held in abutting relation by the support provided for the cover plate I9 at its front and rear' ends. The support for the front end of the cover plate is provided by the nose I4, into which the extreme end of the cover plate projects. Support for the rear end is provided by a screw 22, which passes through a hole provided therefor in the cover plate, and is threaded into a curved bridge member 23, which is welded at its ends to the frame member ID. To place the cover plate I9 in position, the forward end is first inserted into the socket I4, and then the rear end is secured in position with the screw 22. To remove the cover plate, the procedure is reversed. The bridge member 23 also functions to support the forward end of the fiber handle I I.

The welding current is supplied to the electrode I5 through the insulated cable 24, which extends through the handle II and is electrically connected to the electrode I5 by means of the socket 25. Thus the socket 25 has a channel 26 .in its forward end for receiving the electrode I5,

and has a tapered, threaded tail 21 on its rear end, which tail cooperates with a tapered sleeve 28, to make electrical connection with the conducting-core 29 of the cable 24. The core 29 is made of stranded copper wire, and the socket is connected thereto by first stripping the insulation 30 away from the end portion of the core, and then inserting the core in the sleeve 28, after which the strands of the core are separated at the center, and the tapered, threaded tail 2'! of the socket is screwed in until it wedges the strands of the core tightly against the sleeve 28 The resistance of the electrical connection may thereafter be further reduced by soldering the strands to the socket, as indicated at 3I.

The foregoing operations for securing the port the electrode l6.

socket 25. to the cable are performed with the cover plate 19 removed, and with the cable projecting through the handle Ii a sufficient distance to provide freedom of action for the operations described. While the cable and socket are in this position, all exposed parts of the sleeve 28 are wrapped with an insulating tape of heatresisting material, such as glass tape, to prevent any possible electrical contact between the current-carrying elements and the housing members. Thereafter, the socket 25 is inserted into has an annular flange 33a projecting through the nose 44, to prevent the welding rod being bent into contact with the metal nose.

After the socket 25 has been positioned within the insulating bushing 32, the cover plate I9 is secured in position, as previously described.

It has been stated that the electrode I is locked in the socket 25 by .a lock pin l8. As

shown in Fig. 1, the lock pin extends through the opening I1 in the housing and a registering opening 34 in the insulating bushing 32, and bears against the side of the electrode [5, to hold the latter firmly against the opposite sideof the socket. The lock pin I8 has secured to its rear end, a sleeve 35, the rear end of which is internally threaded and screwed onto the forward, threaded end of a toggle link 36, the latter being pivotally secured at its rear end, as by a rivet 31, to a locking handle 38, positioned immediately below the handle H, and pivotally supported thereon adjacent its rear end by a pivot pin 39. I

The locking handle 38 is formed of a pair of metal plates 40 enclosed in a channel shaped piece of fiber 4|. The pin 39 extends through a metal tongue 42 which is welded to the main frame It and extends'through a slot provided therefor in the fiber handle II. This tongue 42 is' positioned between the two metal plates 40 of the locking handle 38. The fiber handle 4| is secured to one of the plates 40 by a screw 43. The rear end portion of the link 36 is flat and fits between the two metal plates 40 of the locking handle.

When it is desired to change the electrode, the locking handle 38 is rocked away from the handle H, as shown in Fig. 2. This movement can be very quickly efiected by simply squeezing the rear end of the locking handle 38 toward the main handle H, at a point rearwardly of the pin 39, so that the toggle-locking mechanism can be rocked into the position shown in Fig. 2

instantly. Such rocking movement is permitted by virtue of the fact that the rear end 42 of the locking handle is beveled, as shown, so as not to interfere with the main handle II.

In the unlocked position, as shown in Fig. 2,

the locking pin I8 is retracted to free the electrode l5, which can thereupon drop out of the socket 25. A new electrode is then inserted into the socket, and locked in place by restoring the locking handle '38 to its normal position. This restoring operation can.be readily performed with the fingers of the hand holding the handle II, while the other hand is employed to sup- .extends around the handle ll so that the force of the pin against the electrode yieldably maintains the locking handle in locking position. Accidental disengagement is further prevented by the fact that the welder?s hand and the locking handle 38, in normal use.

Any desired pressure of the pin I8 against the welding electrode i5 can be obtained by rotating the sleeve 35 on the threaded, forward end of the link 36. To facilitate this adjustment, a fiberinsulating bushing 45 is provided on the rear end of the sleeve 35.

The hole 34 in' the insulating bushing 32 is dimensioned to fit the pin l8 fairly snugly, so that it acts as a lateral support for the forward end of the locking pin I8 at all times.

The locking pin I8 is, of course, electrically connected to the electrode l5, and this pin is therefore preferably secured in the sleeve 35 by embedding it in insulating material 46, so that there can be no electrical path to the sleeve 35,

thereby reducing resistance losses and objectionable heating. Y

Still another advantage of the construction is that all electrical insulation is completely enclosed by metal parts, thereby preventing damage to the insulation, and reducing danger to the operator as a result of any possible arcs or flashes within the tool.

, The use of the metal frame insulated from the welding circuit has the additional advantage of preventing arcs between the frame and the work as the result of accidental contact therebetween. This enables the operator to work with short electrodes without danger, and makes it possible to use the welding rod or electrode practically up to the insulating bushing 33.

Another important feature of the invention is the use of ventilating apertures Na in the cover plate I! to facilitate the dissipation of heat transmitted from the welding rod to the welding socket 25, and the core of the electrical conductates dissipation of heat from the electrode l5,

especially when the latter becomes very short. In some holders, in which no provision is made for rapid conduction of heat away from the electrode, the latter soon becomes too hot to function properly. 3

Although for the purpose of explaining the invention a particular embodiment thereof has been described in detail, it is tobe understood that various departures from the exact construction shown will occur to those skilled in the art, and the invention is therefor to be limited only to the extent set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An electrode holder comprising handle means, an electrode socket, means for locking an electrode to said socket, means for supporting said socket from said handle, and means for effecting direct electrical connection between said socket and a current-supply cable, including a pin member integral with said socket and adapted to extend into the end of a stranded cable conductor, and a sleeve adapted to surround the pin and the separated strands of the cable and compress the strands against said pin.

2. A device of the type described, comprising handle means, an electrode socket, means for locking an electrode to said socket, frame means for supporting said socket from said handle means, and means for effecting electrical connection between said socket and a current-supply cable; inwhich said socket is of channel shape and the bottom of the channel constitutes an electrode seat, a backing element in said frame means for supporting the side of said socket opposite the channel therein, and means movable I laterally into the open side of said channelshaped socket for engaging an electrode therewithin and clamping it against said seat.

3. An electrode holder comprising a channel shaped, elongated metal frame, open on the top, handle means secured to the rear portion of said frame and enclosing said rear portion, a nose member secured to the forward end of said frame and defining a rearwardly extending flange, means within said nose for supporting an electrode and completing electrical connection between said electrode and a conducting cable extending through the channel of said frame mem-' bar, and detachable cover means for forming with the forward portion of said frame member a substantially complete enclosure for the cable con ductor and electrode supporting means therewithin, said cover means having a forward end adapted to fit within said flange on said nose for retaining said forward end of the cover means against lateral movement, and detachable connecting means for securing the rear end of said cover means to said frame member.

4. An electrode holder as described, comprising a metallic frame defining a tubular passage, an electrode socket mounted in said passage for supporting an electrode projecting out of the front end thereof, the front end of said frame having an orifice for the passage of the electrode which is of substantially larger diameter than the electrode, insulating means for insulatingly supporting the electrode holder within said frame, including an insulating washer within said front end of said frame, said washer having a flange extending through said opening in the end of the frame in concentric relation between the end of said frame and the electrode, said insulating means preventing electrical contact between the electrode and said frame.

JESSE F. McGINNIS. 

